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Between the Rhetoric and the Reality: Renewable Energy Promotion vs. Adoption in South Korea

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New Challenges and Solutions for Renewable Energy

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Abstract

South Korea presents a puzzling case of renewable energy with its global-scale investment in research and development for renewable energy yet showing one of the lowest levels of renewable energy adoption. This chapter explores political, economic, and technological dimensions underlying this puzzle with close attention paid to political cleavages shaping renewable energy policy in South Korea. It also considers possible electricity market liberalization, grid capacity, and storage issues that could affect the adoption of renewable energy moving forward.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea

    So Young Kim

  2. Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), Sejong, South Korea

    Inkyoung Sun

Authors
  1. So Young Kim
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  2. Inkyoung Sun
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Correspondence to So Young Kim .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway

    Paul Midford

  2. Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway

    Espen Moe

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Kim, S.Y., Sun, I. (2021). Between the Rhetoric and the Reality: Renewable Energy Promotion vs. Adoption in South Korea. In: Midford, P., Moe, E. (eds) New Challenges and Solutions for Renewable Energy. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54514-7_8

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